


a part of the family.

by abslander (orphan_account)



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Mentions of Cassandra Cain/Stephanie Brown - Freeform, Mentions of Jason Todd/Roy Harper, Mentions of Tim Drake/Stephanie Brown, Sibling like relationship, Stephanie goes through all of her different titles, aka I kinda ignore the comic timeline in some parts oops, aka Steph totally sees Jason as her older brother, and the timeline is kinda a mess, and they care about each other a lot, steph and jason are my brotp and I care a lot about them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 15:42:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11211123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/abslander
Summary: She had never felt like part of the so-called “Bat family.”And why would she?But there were people who almost made Stephanie feel like she was one of them.Tim.Cass.Jason.





	1. first.

She had never felt like part of the so-called “Bat family.”

And why would she? 

Unlike most of the members, Bruce wasn’t her father - adoptive, birth, or even a figure. He was a co-worker. He was her boss. 

But on the other hand, there were people who almost made Stephanie feel like she was one of them. 

Tim. 

Cass. 

Jason. 

She had never thought her and Jason would wind up as close as they were, but, there she was. Leaning with her head on his shoulder and teetering on the edge of the sleep (and not for the first time either.) 

She had first met Jason Todd when she was Spoiler, and only knew him as the Red Hood. She wasn’t sure which side of the law he fell onto, which was probably why she didn’t dive in throwing punches when she first saw him. He, however, didn’t hesitate to cock his gun in her direction. The blonde raised her hands in a sign of surrender. As much as she loved the thrill of the fight, she wasn’t in the mood to go home nursing some bullet wounds. 

“I’d back off if I were you, kid.” His voice was ever so slightly muffled behind his helmet. 

“I don’t do well with orders, dude.” Came her response, a slight cheekiness about her. Behind her own mask, she was grinning. 

But the Red Hood didn’t seem to find her as amusing. “I’m busy. Get out of here before you get into trouble.” The safety was clicked off. 

Given his tone, Stephanie assumed that the gun was merely a threat, that he didn’t have any intention of firing it towards her. But regardless, she took heed, jumping off of the rooftop to the fire escape below, and just in time too. She was departing when she heard the sounds of footsteps landing on the roof. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she climbed back up to peek over the edge. 

The figure who had joined him was unmistakable. Batman.

“Get away from me,” Hissed the Red Hood, the gun drawn again and pointed towards the Bat. 

“You won’t do it.” Responded Batman, and Stephanie had enough sense about her to join the scene, but for now, she stayed hidden. 

“You wouldn’t be the first one I killed,” Red Hood informed him. Stephanie didn’t doubt it. 

Batman shook his head. 

“You can do better than this. You can be better than this… You are better than this,” There was a pleading in his voice, a softness in his tone. He took a half-step forward - and the gun was fired. 

Stephanie ducked her head, quiet for a moment. She didn’t hear anything. Curiously, she peeked up over again. Red Hood was gone, and it was just Batman who remained. He looked out over the city, and she couldn’t see from her angle, but Stephanie suspected he was watching the retreating figure of the Red Hood in the distance. 

There was no blood, and as Batman also departed from the roof top, he didn’t seem to be in any pain. Red Hood didn’t shoot him. Stephanie was intrigued, but she didn’t push it any further. She figured that some point or another, she would run into the Red Hood again. But for now, she joined him in the act of disappearing off into the night.


	2. second.

The second time Stephanie encountered the Red Hood, she was Robin. The Girl Wonder, she affectionately called herself - (“Or, the Girl Blunder,” Tim added with a snicker.) But, there wasn’t anything too glamorous about being the sidekick to Batman. Stephanie had thought she would enjoy the position, that it would gain her some ranking in the city, that he would train her well and she could come out better. Well, perhaps the latter was true, but she had yet to really see it form. She did her work, and she carried on as she normally would, which didn’t cut it for Batman. Every night she would return to the Batcave to a lecture about staying safe, about what that title meant. She missed being Spoiler. It was a title all her own. She could do what she wanted, be who she wanted. 

She grew nostalgic for how things used to be - when she simply spoiled her father's own nefarious plans. 

But then, he was gone. 

He died with the Suicide Squad, serving for his country, at least, that was what Stephanie had been told. 

She had never liked her dad much; he wasn’t exactly a good man by any means, and she had rejected his attempts at reaching out for years.. And yet, now that he was gone, she couldn’t help the regret that was bubbling up in her and resulting in more than one night of her abandoning patrol to just sit on her own and let that guilt out in the form of salty tears rolling down her cheeks. She didn’t miss him, but it suddenly struck her that she didn’t know her father. He was merely a stranger to her, and now, she would never have the chance to get to know him. 

And so, she tracked down the Riddler. He had worked with her father on more than one occasion, and Stephanie decided that if anyone was going to be able to paint her an image of who her dad was, it was going to be him. 

The Riddler wasn’t easy to find. Of course, he was good at hiding - and when he found out that Robin was coming after him well… He didn’t take too kindly to the thought. Which was how Stephanie ended up backed up against a wall with his cane pressed tightly to her neck; the threat to either snap her neck or choke her out was evident, and she didn’t know which one she would prefer. 

“I just want to talk to you-” Stephanie wheezed out. “I don’t want to fight. Just talk.” She gasped for air. She released her grip from his cane, holding up her hands in a sign of defense. He loosened his grip, allowing her the room to speak, but Edward Nygma wasn’t an idiot; he didn’t back down. Nor, did he trust Batman’s little collection of birds. 

“Then talk,” Edward drawled lazily, glaring at the girl from behind his domino mask. 

Stephanie took in a deep and shaking breath, her throat scratchy as she spoke next. “I just want to know what you know about the Cluemaster.” She coughed out. “What he was like. Just… Just as a person.” 

That confused Edward for a moment, his brows furrowed as he looked closely at the girl and -- there it was. Suddenly clicking in his mind. “You’re his daughter.” Stephanie nodded. He released his grip, placing his cane back onto the ground and he turned thoughtful for a moment. Carefully, he considered what he could do about this situation, what helping this girl could possibly mean for him. He could tell the truth - that the Cluemaster was an ally, yes, but not someone he cared for much this way or, he could tell her that he was a terrible man. He could create some scheme in his mind that he was horrible - that he was a monster and he was happy that he was dead… Or, perhaps the most useful thing of all, he could lie. 

“He was a good man, when I knew him. Well, good by my standards, at the very least. He was a loyal friend and a helpful ally. He did the best that he could for a team, and always put forth a great initiative. He could work his way around a riddle on his best days, and was a pleasure to work with. Happy now?” 

She wasn’t. 

Honestly speaking, hearing a good thing about her dad almost made her feel worse. Tears brimmed in Stephanie’s eyes and she slumped down, sitting down on the ground. “Just go.” She told him. 

Edward was taken aback, but, he wasn’t about to go staring this gift horse in the mouth - Robin was letting him go, and he’d be damned if he waited around for the Bat to come and take that away from him. Without so much as a look back to the girl, the Riddler was gone. 

Stephanie was silent for a while, staring down at her knees and letting the tears openly roll down her cheeks with no attempts made to stop them. Her dad wasn’t pure evil, as she had once believed. He had been loyal. He had been a friend. He had done something good in his life for someone and yet; she hadn’t gave a damn about him while he was alive. Even after his countless attempts to heal their broken relationship… Stephanie denied him every opportunity and now? 

“Hey kid,” The voice wasn’t familiar, and she couldn’t place it until she looked up at the gleaming helmet of the Red Hood. 

“Hey,” Stephanie answered - although it was more of a question than anything else, she really didn’t know what he was doing there - or what to say. That confusion continued to grow as he dropped down onto the ground next to her. 

“Don’t be upset if you couldn’t solve his riddles. I’m pretty half the time he doesn’t know the answer until after he’s said it.” Red Hood told her, he didn’t really know what was bothering her, but he had seen Nygma making his get away from the scene (The Riddler had never been skilled in subtly) 

“It’s not that,” Stephanie responded, shaking her head just a touch. “He knew my dad. Before he died… Better than I knew him and --” She sniffled slightly. “I don’t know what I expected him to tell me but… I don’t know, I guess I didn’t want to hear anything good about him and--” 

“And he told you all the wrong things.” 

“Yeah,” 

His next movement was awkward, and stiff. Putting his arm around her shoulder to light pat her for a moment, before he removed his arm quickly. The whole thing felt strange, and he was suddenly filled with the realization that he did not know how to properly comfort someone. 

“I’m sorry. About your dad.” Red Hood told her after a moment. Stephanie stayed silent and shrugged. “Family isn’t easy,” He knew that all too well. “But… The Batman isn’t a bad guy. Having him looking out for you will get you pretty far in life. Just… Let him do his thing, don’t mess around. And… Listen to what he tells you. He knows what he’s talking about.” 

“How would you know?” 

The question was one Red Hood didn’t know how to answer. It wasn’t one that he wanted to answer either. 

“I knew him once.” His response was simple, and with that, he stood. “You going to be okay?” 

Stephanie nodded, and at the moment, she made no effort to get up. 

“He’ll keep you on your toes, kid. Make sure you keep him on his too.” And like the Riddler, Red Hood left the girl alone in the alley without so much as a look back toward her. 

Stephanie sat there for a short while later; until Batman joined her in the alley. He didn’t say much, simply extending a hand towards her, which Stephanie decided to accept. She pulled herself up to her feet, and gave him a nod. She was ready to get back out there, and he wasn’t going to ask her about what happened. 

Red Hood had told him enough.


	3. third.

The third time that Stephanie encountered the Red Hood, she was still Robin; unbeknownst to her it would be her final night in the suit, but more importantly, she had finally pieced the puzzle together. 

Stephanie had seen him on the roof top. He was waiting, she guessed, but for what she couldn’t begin to imagine. 

“You’re Jason Todd,” She announced, and alright, perhaps that wasn’t the best way to alert him to her presence. Emphasized by the way he turned to face her at lightening quick speeds, his gun aimed toward her head, and only lowered once he realized who it was. 

“Did he tell you that?” 

“No, I… Sorta figured it out on my own. It was the whole… ‘I knew him once’ and the… Constantly hiding your identity. I thought you were dead but….” Someone coming back from the dead wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to happen in Gotham. 

“Lazarus Pit,” And there it was - Stephanie gave him a nod. She raised her hands and gingerly slipped the domino mask off of her face. 

“Stephanie Brown.” 

“I know. Cluemaster’s kid, right?” He didn’t take off his helmet immediately, but seeing the small look of vulnerability that crossed her face gave way for Jason to cave. He glanced around, before carefully lifting it off. He shook out his hair; he looked as she would’ve expected him to, except for the two white tufts at the front of his hair. 

“He has pictures of you.” 

“Bruce?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Do me a favour, and burn’em.” 

Stephanie didn’t quite know what to say to that, and instead pulled her mask back over her eyes. He followed suit, putting his helmet back on. “So, did he adopt you too?” 

“No, no….” Stephanie almost barked a laugh at that one. Bruce? Her father? The thought was hilarious. The thought was terrible. She’d never want something like that. “I’m dating the previous Robin.” She decided not to give his name, that wasn’t her thing to share. 

“Really?” This time, it was Jason’s turn to laugh. “That brat?” 

“Yes, that brat.” Stephanie had to laugh along with him - oh, Tim was not going to like this when she told him about it. Oh well. “He’s not that bad, once you get past all of the brattiness.” 

“I don’t think that’s possible. Pretty sure the kid is all brattiness.” Jason retorted with a bit of a laugh; and Stephanie found herself unable to come up with an argument behind the laughter that was bubbling up in her throat. 

“Alright, alright. I’ll give you that one, Todd.” She beamed towards him. Jason, for the first time in a while, had felt completely at ease. But the ease would only last so long, a small bit of tension formed in his shoulders as Arsenal joined them on the rooftop; it wasn’t that he distrusted Robin but…. 

Well, okay, he didn’t trust her at all. 

“Red Hood,” He spoke professionally; utterly unaware of the interaction that had passed between them. “We’ve got to go.” He didn’t specify what for, and he didn’t need to. Jason was more than willing to go with him. Jason’s gloved hands wrapped lightly around Roy’s wrist, and he nodded. 

“See you around, Robin.” His free hand gave a salute which Stephanie returned. She blinked, and the pair of them were gone. 

\---

It was later that night, after Stephanie had taken no mercy in a battle against Mr. Zsasz (and attempting murder against him) that she had had the title of Robin stripped from her permanently. Sure, it hurt. But she didn’t really expect much less from Bruce after that act. The role just hadn’t suited her quite well. 

She had left the costume with Bruce, and walked home in the night. She wasn’t too nervous about being alone in the streets of Gotham, even with the late hour. Stephanie was confident in her abilities, and she didn’t need Batman to approve of her choices. The next night, she would be back out again, back in her familiar cloak of Spoiler. The light was breaking over the horizon, morning was coming, and Stephanie was rather exhausted; but no amount of exhaustion put her off high alert. She froze in place as someone landed down just behind her. 

“Relax, it’s me.” Now that voice had become familiar. When Stephanie turned around, it was Jason. No, not the Red Hood. The helmet was missing, as was the jacket. He wore a dark hoodie which covered the top of his head, concealing the flashes of white in his hair, and most of his face. But she still recognized him on sight. “Rough night?” He asked, tilting his head as he stepped up to join her pace. 

“Got fired for saving Batman’s life.” Stephanie pointed out with a bit of a shrug - it was what it was, and she held no regrets for her actions. 

“Jeez. Bruce has really gotten strict, huh?” Jason questioned. His gaze more towards the sky as he walked along with Stephanie. “What happened?” 

“Zsasz did. He took me. Fought him off pretty well but… Batman showed up. And I’m sure you know how Zsasz is. The dude doesn’t care to stop no matter how much blood he’s shed. But he had him on the ropes. Like, I seriously believed Bruce was gonna lose the fight, so I stepped up. Almost killed Zsasz in the process and… He didn’t like that. So, he decided I wasn’t good enough to be his sidekick or whatever.” 

“Ah, I see.” Jason paused for a moment, shaking his head a little bit. “Bruce doesn’t like killing. Doesn’t matter how justified it is.” 

“That why you don’t come back to him?” 

The question startled Jason, and he was silent for a moment. His eyes slightly widened and he felt like a deer caught in the headlights - before he recalled that of course she would know. How could she not know? She wasn’t stupid, and it wasn’t like it was a secret between them that he was Red Hood. “I’m sorry,” Stephanie began to speak again after a moment. “Sorry. Really wasn’t… My place to-”

“No, you’re right. It’s why I don’t come back to him. We disagree.” 

They both fell silent after that - neither of them entirely sure on what to say right away. 

“For what it’s worth,” Stephanie suddenly spoke up. “I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong, exactly.” She explained, trying to assure him. 

“I don’t either.” He didn’t need to be told it. “But thanks anyways, kiddo.” 

The nickname didn’t bother her, even though she normally wouldn’t call herself a kid, there was something nice about it. The affection was something she was going to appreciate for all it was worth. 

“Are you going to be heading back out? Taking on something other than Robin?” The question was curious. 

“Yeah… Yeah, I’ll probably go back to Spoiler. Bruce might not approve of my choices but… That’s not going to keep me from protecting Gotham. I didn’t go through all that training with him to just give up because he’d rather be dead than have me put up a fight.” Maybe she was a bit more bitter about the situation than she had initially anticipated, but if Jason noticed, he didn’t comment on the matter. 

“Ah, so that was you.” Jason hummed lightly, he looked thoughtful. “Probably good for you. You’re a good fighter but… Look, kiddo, I’m not one to follow Bruce’s advice. About anything but… If he says not to kill… You shouldn’t do it.” 

“Why not?” 

“You don’t wanna be like me,” His response was simple and fell from his lips like clockwork. 

“Why not?” The question echoed from her lips, and Jason shook his head a little bit. 

“What I do… It’s not good. It’s not a life for anyone.” He never regretted the path he chose, but that didn’t mean he’d recommend someone else taking after him. “You’re a good kid, Stephanie. You’re smart. You can do good things for a city like this. Keep yourself above the dirt. Keep your hands clean.” It was the best piece of advice that Jason could offer, and Stephanie would be certain to keep it in mind. 

“What about the people you work with?” Stephanie asked. 

Kori and Roy. The thought of the two of them actually managed to bring a rare smile up to Jason’s lips - they were the best friends and teammates he could’ve asked for. 

“They made their choice to join me. And I’m thankful for them.” Jason explained. “I know that sounds… Hypocritical, almost. But I can’t tell you how to make your choices, just like I can’t tell them how to make theirs. They chose to be like me… We chose to be a team and that’s not something I’m about to fight. I’m happy with them.” He was happy to have Roy to curl up to when the nights got too cold - but he didn’t say that out loud. He then realized Stephanie had stopped walking, and he noticed that they must be at her house. “Your stop?” He asked. 

“Yeah,” Stephanie answered - there was a reluctance in her eyes, and while Jason didn’t know exactly why she didn’t want to go inside, he figured he’d do his best to provide some form of comfort while standing with her. A hand came up to rest on her shoulder. Her lips twitched into a smile. “Thanks for the advice, dad.” Her tone was teasing, and Jason wrinkled his nose and immediately removed his hand. 

“Alright, time for you to head inside and time for me to pretend I didn’t hear that.” 

“What? Don’t like being called ‘dad’?” Stephanie grinned, the certain hesitance having left her face completely in favour of teasing Jason. He shook his head, bringing up his hands to cover his ears. 

“Daaaaaad,” Stephanie drawled, raising her volume, and Jason matched her volume with his own chorus of ‘la-la-la-la-la’ although, it was difficult for the two of them to carry on for very long without dissolving into laughter. 

“Alright. It’s time you get to bed, young lady-” This time, Jason willingly took on the ‘dad’ role - for one night and one night only. 

“Yeah, yeah, okay, dad.” Stephanie was laughing still, but she took her leave. Heading up to the front door. She stopped, looking back at him once she had opened the front door. “Get home soon. You need some sleep too.” Her tone was actually serious on that one. 

“I will,” He gave her a small wave, waiting until the door had shut behind her before he set off. He had meant it. After all, it was a fairly cold morning.


	4. fourth.

It would be nearly a year before the next time Stephanie saw Jason again - after faking her death with the help of Dr. Thompkins and eventually returning to Gotham as Spoiler, Stephanie slowly fell back into her old habits. It was like she had never been Robin, like she had never been with Tim, and almost like her father had never died. She was feeling like herself again and that was something that Stephanie had needed more than anything; a sense of consistency and normalcy. 

This would also come in the form of Cassandra Cain, whom Stephanie would meet on rooftops late into the night to share quick kisses and words of assurance before they sprinted off side by side and made it known that Batgirl and Spoiler were absolutely a force to be reckoned with. 

Bruce welcomed her back too, in the way that he does. With a silence that was neither positive or negative, but something Stephanie could simply accept. Tim had now graduated to his own title of Red Robin, and they were okay too. They had moved on from each other, and were simply friends; something that Stephanie was proud to call him. 

It was a picture perfect life, and for the first time in a while, Stephanie felt like she was going to be okay. 

“I heard you died,” A voice came from behind her, and it took Stephanie a moment to register why it was familiar. But when she turned around in the dark alley and was met with the familiar deep red helmet that belonged to Jason. 

“You heard wrong,” Stephanie grinned behind the black fabric covering the lower half of her face. “Didn’t really die, kinda sucks. Would’ve made me a real Robin.” She joked lightly - a little bit regretful immediately after she had said it. She didn’t want to strike a nerve, but if Jason had had any reaction towards the comment, he hid it well. 

“Don’t tell Dick that,” He answered, a sense of amusement peppered into his voice which made Stephanie feel a little bit more at ease. She stepped over towards him, part of her half-tempted to offer him a hug, mainly to see if he’d even accept it. But for the moment, she held back from the fact. 

“Damn. And he was the first on my list to call about my death jokes,” Stephanie quipped back, and she could practically hear the sound of Jason rolling his eyes. 

“Hilarious,” The sarcasm was heavy. 

“I try,” She retorted with a little grin. “I take it you’re glad to see me alive, Red?” 

“Better than seeing you dead, that’s for sure.” Jason pointed out, stepping towards Stephanie. Then, he made the move that she didn’t expect. Pulling her into his arms for a short hug. She barely had the time to reciprocate before he was stepping back. 

“What was that for?” Stephanie asked him, honestly, a little bit stunned that Jason Todd - the Red Hood - had made any movement towards her in a vaguely affectionate way. 

“Seeing you alive again,” Jason answered, taking a moment. He brought up his hand to the back of his neck. “You remind me of me, a little bit and-- Get down!” He shouted; but he wasn’t exactly fast enough. He should’ve been more alert. The two of them; being connected to the Bat like they were, he should’ve known someone would come from them. He didn’t know who the men were on the rooftops that fired bullets down onto them, but he might guess they were connected to Two-Face or the Penguin. Either way, while Stephanie ducked down, he drew out his own gun and opened fire in return. Four hits, and he could distantly hear the dull thump of the two of them falling over; hopefully dead. 

But Jason didn’t have the time to dwell on that, the moment loosening, he was able to return his attention to Stephanie who was hunched over, clutching her side. He could see the dampness in her suit - a sign of the blood spilling out of her. “Shit,” Jason muttered. “Is that it? Is that the only one?” He asked, Stephanie gave a weak nod and in a moment, she was back in his arms. Scooped up in a bridal hold and he moved quickly towards his bike. His first instinct was to bring her to Alfred but… 

“Don’t bring me to the Manor.” She didn’t want to worry Cass. The wound wasn’t that bad, right? Jason could help. 

“Okay,” He said simply. He moved her to sit on his bike, before he climbed on behind her, letting him keep a hold on her while he gripped the handle bars. He kicked up the stand and revved the engine, starting off on his high speed mission to head to his house. He could handle a bullet wound, he had pulled enough of those out of Kori and Rory on various missions. Stephanie was mostly quiet on the drive, and he couldn’t blame her. The ride wasn’t long anyways. A little over five minutes and Jason was pulling up to his apartment and lifting Steph up again, wasting no time in bringing her inside. Unlocking the door while carrying her was a little bit awkward, and required a bit of maneuvering, but he managed to push the door open and get her inside. 

Jason laid her down on the couch, and Stephanie figured what was going to happen - and god was it ever going to hurt. She shifted her costume, pulling up her shirt to expose the left side of her waist where the bullet had lodged itself. There was a lot of blood, now no longer hidden by the dark colour of her clothes. 

Jason continued to think on his feet and move quickly, getting his first aid kit before he kneeled down at Stephanie’s side. “Deep breaths, Steph. This is going to hurt.” He tossed off his helmet, tearing open the box to first find tweezers. He cleans them quickly with a short dunk into medical grade alcohol before he’s carefully picking at the wound. She winces. She bites down on her mask. She does her best to not twitch and not let the tears burning in her eyes fall - not until he’s successfully removed the bullet and she can relax again. It still hurts, but Stephanie can manage. At least, until the next part. Wordlessly, Jason moved onto cleaning the blood from her skin with a damp towel - and aside from the throbbing ache that the pressure added, it wasn’t too bad. Until he told her to hold her breath as he pushed the first stitch into her skin. 

Stephanie screamed at that and the noise was terrible. But Jason continued on. His hand as steady as ever as he pushed the needle through her skin a total of six times (three stitches) and then, cleaned it off again. By then, Stephanie was breathing heavily and tears stained her cheeks - but she was alive. 

“Are you okay?” She asked him, having collected herself and her voice. Jason looked himself over, and there didn’t seem to be any noticeable harm. 

“Yeah. Yeah I’m okay.” 

“Thank you.” Stephanie tried to sit up, wincing in the pain of moving. Jason aided her as best as he could, helping her slump back. “Nice place ya got.” She commented casually, although she found herself closing her eyes. “You got Ibuprofen?” 

“Yeah, uh, here.” He took a bottle from his first aid kit, twisting it open and placing two into her open palm. “Do you need w-- Okay, no.” His question was cut off as she popped the pills into her mouth and swallowed them down without the aid of a drink. 

“I don’t suppose you’ll be letting me back out tonight?” Stephanie asked him with a trace of a laugh. It was a little past 2am, and she needed to sleep. 

“Nah, sorry. I’ll tell Barbara you’re here but…” Jason shook his head. “I’ve got some clothes here that should fit you, if you wanna change.” Kori had left some of her stuff here, and it would probably fit Steph just fine… In fact, she might as well just stay in Koriand’r’s room while she was here. 

“Yeah, yeah that’d be good.” She nodded, pulling herself up slowly. Jason hooked his arm around her waist and put her arm over his shoulder - he lead her through the apartment towards Kori’s room. It was dark, and just as the Tamarian had left it. Jason hadn’t dared touch it. 

“Uh, you should be able to find some clothes around… She didn’t take all of her earth-things.” 

Steph nodded, stepping back from him to look through the drawers. She was quick to find some pajamas, and looked up towards him. “Are you just gonna stand here or?” She asked, slightly teasing. Jason took a moment before he nodded. 

“Right, sorry,” He laughed a little bit. “Shout if you need anything.” He told her, before finally parting from the room, shutting the door behind him. Stephanie changed out of her uniform and into a loose t-shirt and shorts. The action of changing was awkward, and had hurt a decent amount, but she pulled it off and settled to sit on the edge of the bed. She pulled her hair up into a bun and laid back, yawning as she did. The painkillers were starting to kick in and Steph didn’t think it’d be long until she found herself drifting off to sleep. 

When she woke up in the morning, the house was relatively quiet. Feeling better, Stephanie pulled herself from bed and stepped out of the room. Distantly, she could hear the soft sounds of music. Some sort of indie rock song she didn’t recognize, but somehow, seemed to fit what she’d imagine Jason listening too. She stepped into the kitchen, and he was frying up some pancakes. 

“Oh, hey. You’re awake. How’re you feeling?” He asked - concern immediately filling his voice. 

“I’m alright. Sore but,” Stephanie shrugged a little bit. She couldn’t have expected anything less than that, after all. She sat herself down at the kitchen counter, a bar stool placed in front of it. 

“Pancakes okay?” Jason asked after a brief pause of silence. Stephanie nodded in response. “Want anything to drink?” He added afterwards. 

“Water, please.” And Jason immediately complied, filling up the glass from the tap and placing it in front of her. She brought it up to her lips in a slow sip. 

“Thank you for…. All of this, by the way,” Stephanie told him quietly, her gaze falling downwards toward the counter. There was something almost embarrassing about what had happened - one bullet shot and she was effectively out of the game, needing to be dragged to Jason’s home and live off of borrowed supplies while he had to take care of her; she felt ridiculous after all of the times she insisted that she didn’t need anyone to take care of her. 

Bruce would know. He’d have to know that she was here by now. 

“Hey - don’t worry about it.” Jason told her immediately. He flipped the pancake, revealing the golden brown side. He glanced over to her and was able to read her like a book. “I know it doesn’t feel so great, being doted on and all… But sometimes you need it. It’s not always so bad having someone who wants to take care of you,” He paused a moment there, and when he spoke again, there was a shift in his tone. “Just remember that when someone wants to take care of you, it doesn’t mean they’re trying to restrict you or make you feel bad, they’re doing it because they care about you… That’s not the person you wanna push away.” Jason spoke from experience. “You… You, uh, remind me of me… A little bit. In the best way possible,” He added with a little bit of a chuckle. “You’re a good kid, Stephanie. With more bravery than your body can handle. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did…” 

“Like getting the shit beat outta me with a---” 

“Yes, exactly like that.” He had grown comfortable enough to accept remarks about his death (and might occasionally crack one or two of his own.) 

“But I mean it, Steph… You got some potential. At least enough for Bruce to take you under his wing and show you the ropes. That means a lot in this city. Even if you got kicked off the spot.” 

Stephanie hadn’t previously considered it like that, and perked up her head a little bit as she looked up towards him. “You think so?” 

“I know so.” Jason commented, he clicked off the radio as he sorted out his small stack of pancakes onto a couple of plates, before placing one in front of Steph, as well as carrying over a bottle of syrup. The other plate was placed before the other chair which he slid into. 

“You know, I prefer waffles,” Stephanie said, as she began to load up her pancakes with syrup. 

“Yeah? Well, I prefer not making breakfast for two, but we can’t all have it our way.”


	5. forever.

To say that the two had become friends was an understatement to anyone who knew them. Spoiler and the Red Hood were nearly inseparable. A sibling-like bond had rapidly formed between the two; similarly the outcasts of the Batman family, but they were fine like that, they found a strange sort of comfort and happiness within each other. 

“Jay,” Stephanie greeted, flopping down beside him on his bed. She had since moved into his apartment and was happily sharing it - she had taken up Koriand’r’s old room, and had now made it her own. This came with the benefit of Jay’s place being closer to her university than her moms home was. 

“What?” Jason asked, barely glancing up from the book he had been reading. 

“I’m bored.” 

“Bruce invited us to dinner tonight. Just be bored for like, another two hours.” Jason responded, idly flipping the page. Meanwhile, Stephanie groaned, rolling onto her stomach and continuing to whine and stare up at him until she had successfully won his attention. It only took about 20 seconds of continuous noise for Jason to finally cave, dog-earring the corner of his page and straightening up. “Fine. What is it? What do you want to do?”

“Let’s watch a movie! You can pick.” Stephanie immediately suggested, eagerly hoping to her feet. 

“We’re supposed to watch a movie at the manor,” Jason pointed out - but Stephanie interrupted him before he could argue further. 

“And Damian is picking, so you know it’s going to be something either boring or unrealistic. We can watch something good first. C’mon, Jay,” 

Jason decided that there was absolutely no use in arguing with her. There never was. Stephanie always won. 

In ten minutes time, the two would end up side-by-side on the couch, Die Hard playing on the screen and Stephanie wrapped up in a blanket. Jason’s arm rested over the back of the couch and her head leaned against his shoulder. It was quiet, mostly. Neither of them spoke, and Stephanie was given the time to think; this was home. 

Jason was the best older brother she could ask for. He supported her, he took care of her, he turned the other cheek when Cass wanted to come over for the night and let her and Steph spend their nights alone (Sometimes, with the door closed.) 

And she did the same for him; she was always at his side, ready to do anything he needed. She didn’t mind following his orders because they were always on the same page anyways, everything worked out for him, and they were happy. Sometimes, when Roy came over, she’d go out of her way to bother the both of them, but that was to be expected, wasn’t it? Being the little sister figure. Jason could deal with that. 

In fact, he might think it worst if she stopped. He didn’t know he wanted a little sister until he had one.


End file.
